After a myriad of offseason moves that brought superstars like Mikal Bridges across the Brooklyn Bridge to the New York Knicks and Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers, the battle for the top of the East is as competitive as it’s been in years.
The Milwaukee Bucks, after another early exit from the postseason, will lean on continuity, with superstar duo Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard and head coach Doc Rivers running it back for a second season together.
Will Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers make another surprising postseason run? Which struggling team will find its footing? And who can compete with a potential Boston Celtics dynasty in the making?
Our expert panel predicts the win-loss records for all 15 teams in the East.
Note: Our 2024-25 NBA Summer Forecast continues Wednesday with the Western Conference standings predictions. On Tuesday, we revealed our picks for which players will win the league’s biggest awards, including MVP, DPOY and more.
Eastern Conference standings
The contenders
1. Boston Celtics: 61-21
2. New York Knicks: 53-29
3. Philadelphia 76ers: 52-30
4. Cleveland Cavaliers: 50-32
5. Milwaukee Bucks: 49-33
6. Orlando Magic: 47-35
The Celtics sit atop our Eastern Conference projections for the third year in a row, and for good reason. They made a dominant run through the East last season, going 64-18 in the regular season, and lost only three games in the postseason to claim the franchise’s 18th championship — ending a 16-year title drought and making Boston the winningest franchise in NBA history.
The Celtics return their elite core after extending Jayson Tatum and Derrick White, and will lean on 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown as their defensive anchor. The healthy return of Kristaps Porzingis, out for a large portion of the beginning of the season with a leg injury, will play a big factor in their success, after the big man had a commanding performance in his first season in Boston.
The Knicks and the 76ers are neck and neck in our predictive standings, at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, with a budding tristate rivalry after an exciting six-game first-round series last season. The “Nova Knicks” will rally behind breakout point guard Jalen Brunson and recently re-signed OG Anunoby, while the 76ers are hoping their superstar trio of Paul George, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey can push Philadelphia to the Finals.
After much speculation about the potential disbandment of the Cavaliers’ backcourt of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, they return a strong starting five that includes twin bigs Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
The play-in group
7. Indiana Pacers: 46-36
8. Miami Heat: 45-37
9. Atlanta Hawks: 31-51
10. Chicago Bulls: 30-52
The Pacers finished sixth in the standings last season with a 47-35 record but made a surprising run to the conference finals and are expected to remain in playoff contention. Led by Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, Indiana led the league last season in points per game (123.3) and trailed just the Celtics in offensive efficiency. The Heat, eliminated by the Celtics in the first round last season after reaching the NBA Finals the year prior, are projected to finish eighth in the standings — a spot familiar to Jimmy Butler & Co. after finishing there two years straight.
The Hawks had a busy summer — trading away shooting guard Dejounte Murray and drafting Zaccharie Risacher at No. 1 — but are looking at a fourth straight appearance in the play-in group, according to our panel. The Bulls, without DeMar DeRozan, face a similar situation, as they hope to avoid a third consecutive year in the play-in bracket.
The bottom five
11. Toronto Raptors: 26-56
12. Brooklyn Nets: 22-60
13. Charlotte Hornets: 21-61
14. Detroit Pistons: 20-62
15. Washington Wizards: 17-65
The Raptors, after trading away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, look to make a push into the play-in pool this season behind RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes. Barnes made his first All-Star appearance this past season and averaged 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.
The Hornets, after finishing 13th in the East last season, don’t project any higher this season, despite the healthy returns of front man LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and sophomore Brandon Miller.
And after trading away superstar Mikal Bridges to the crosstown rival Knicks for a stack of future draft picks and other assets, the Nets mercifully now have a direction — to the bottom of the East. With 16 first-round picks available through 2031, including four selections in the starry 2025 NBA draft, it’s clear the Nets are fully prepared for a rebuild.
Last season, the Pistons set the record for longest single season losing streak in NBA history, at 27 games, and finished at the bottom of the East with a 14-68 record. To rise any higher, they’ll need, at a minimum, Cade Cunningham to repeat his career-best 2023-24 season, when he averaged 22.7 points and 7.5 assists per game and shot 86.9% at the free throw line.
Then there’s the poor Wizards. After fighting tooth and nail to avoid the NBA basement, Washington managed to one-up Detroit with its 15th win on April 12. The Wizards finally have a direction, too, and drafted Alex Sarr second in June, but the French rookie will need to adjust to a lot of losing before the organization settles on a new core.
